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Raw milk debate froths up at Capitol

Raw milk debate froths up at Capitol

In a legislative session that has lacked the bitter polarization seen in years past, an utterly contentious issue rose Wednesday to the top of the political barrel.

Raw milk.

An eclectic coalition of Austin hippies, homeschooled children and subscribers to Ron Paul’s libertarian philosophy showed up en masse to tout the benefits of unpasteurized milk from cows and goats before the House Public Health committee.

The committee — headed by Rep. Lois Kolkorst, R-Brenham — also heard from critics of the velvety and thick product.

Energizing the unusual alliance of raw milk drinkers is a bill filed by Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Van, for the second consecutive session that will allow raw milk to be more widely sold. Now, consumers can only buy raw milk at farms producing it. Flynn’s House Bill 46 would add sales at farmers markets and county fairs to the mix.

It’s about free enterprise, Flynn said, but the Texas Association of Dairyman and other organizations beg to differ.

While raw milk sales are minuscule compared with those of big dairy operations, a disease outbreak from raw milk could have a devastating effect on mainstream dairies if consumers react by shunning all milk products, said Darren Turley, the executive director of the dairy farmers’ group.

Flynn moo-moos that argument.

“It’s about competition,” he said. “The big guys will go after the very small people who really don’t affect their market.”

Medical groups — including the Texas Medical Association, the Texas Pediatric Society and the Texas Academy of Family Physicians — also oppose Flynn’s measure.

“If HB 46 is implemented, more people may become ill from raw milk consumption — resulting in greater costs to the state for investigation, inspection, and the care of those who will need to be hospitalized.” he said. “These illnesses and hospitalizations are preventable.”

Flynn said he hopes to minimize opposition from the milk titans by requiring safe transportation of raw milk and adding strongly worded health warning labels.

Most raw milk producers already have safe practices, said a raw milk producer from outside of Fort Worth. Eldon Hooley, 45, a Mennonite dairy farmer from Grandview, said he can more consistently transport milk at a safe temperature than his customers.

Fresh off a three-hour road trip with his wife and seven children, Hooley of Rosey Ridge Farm also said he would be open to the idea of warning labels.

“I wouldn’t have a problem with that,” Hooley said. “My customers would laugh at it.”

Ted Norris, a physician and holistic doctor, called pasteurized, homogenized milk a “foreign product,” and thanked former presidential hopeful Ron Paul for speaking on the campaign trail about overturning a federal ban on transporting raw milk across state lines.